NCAA Tournament: If you’re just tuning in, I’m so, so sorry

Four of the first five were decided in the final seconds. Two shots narrowly beat the buzzer, and one team pulled off a huge upset.

West Virginia’s 84-76 victory over Clemson – a three-point game with 1:40 remaining — was a blowout compared to the other action.

In all, the five games were decided by 15 points.

The thrills started with Butler, the team that provided so much drama last March, beating Old Dominion at the buzzer.

Then No. 13 Morehead State took down No. 4 Louisville.

Then Temple knocked out Penn State at the buzzer.

Then Kentucky survived an epic scare from Princeton.

Here’s a recap:

Best game: Take your pick.

Butler’s victory over Old Dominion wasn’t pretty, but it was close: The largest lead was six. There were 10 ties and 21 lead changes.

Temple and Penn State featured an are-you-kidding 3-pointer by PSU’s Talor Battle with 16 seconds remaining – and then a buzzer-beating leaner by Temple’s Juan Fernandez.

Morehead’s upset of Louisville included a never-a-doubt 3-pointer by Demonte Harper with seven seconds left and potentially game-saving block by Kenneth Faried just before the buzzer.

Best shot: Plenty of options here, as well.

Butler’s Matt Howard beat Old Dominion with a layup at the buzzer.

Temple’s Juan Fernandez KOed Penn State with a difficult leaner from the right side of the foul line.

And Kentucky freshman Brandon Knight scored on a drive with two seconds remaining to beat Princeton – Knight’s only basket of the game.

Best player: Morehead’s Terrance Hill scored 23 points on just nine shots and added eight rebounds and three steals.

Biggest upset: No. 13 Morehead State over No. 4 Louisville.

The Bluegrass State foes met two years ago in the NCAAs, with Louisville winning handily.

The Cardinal, runner-up in the Big East tournament, were a 9.5-point favorite Thursday.

But Morehead State rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit, rode the inside presence of forward Kenneth Faried and took advantage of an ankle injury to Louisville’s leading scorer, guard Preston Knowles.

Louisville had a chance to win it following Harper’s 3-pointer, but Mike Marra’s jumper from the left wing was blocked by Faried – a fabulous no-call by the officials.

Conference report: The Ohio Valley was a big winner. Morehead State’s victory marked the second consecutive year an OVC team has scored a first-round upset. (Murray State beat Vanderbilt in San Jose.)

The Big East, which earned a record 11 bids, went 2-1.

Player who helps his draft stock: Faried, the 6-8 senior, had 12 points and 17 rebounds against Louisville, likely sealing his status as a first-round pick.

Pac-10 update: USC’s 13-point loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Wednesday night doesn’t bode well for the Pac-10, although every team in different.

UCLA, Arizona and Washington, for instance, did not have their coaches suspended for arguing with boosters from another team.

Thursday evening: A terrific lineup of games features UCLA against Michigan State and St. John’s against Gonzaga, which should be the crowd favorite in Denver.

Don’t be surprised if No. 13 Belmont gives No. 4 Wisconsin a scare and No. 5 Utah State does the same to No. 12 Kansas State.

Just filed a summary of the early games for our website/iPad app (bulk of it is below), then I look up and Northern Colorado is within three of SDSU!

Best first session of Thursday games ever? I can’t think of one’s that’s better.

*** Time-test truism: When the committee does a poor job of evaluating and seeding, upsets and buzzer beaters are sure to follow.

*** Recap: Four of the first five games were decided in the final seconds. There were two buzzer beaters and one major upset.

West Virginia’s 84-76 victory over Clemson – a three-point game with 1:40 remaining — was a blowout compared to the other action.

In all, the five games were decided by 15 points.

The thrills started with Butler, the team that provided so much drama last March, beating Old Dominion at the buzzer.

Then No. 13 Morehead State took down No. 4 Louisville.

Then Temple knocked out Penn State at the buzzer.

Then Kentucky survived an epic scare from Princeton.

* Best game: Take your pick.

Butler’s victory over Old Dominion wasn’t pretty, but it was close: The largest lead was six. There were 10 ties and 21 lead changes.

Temple and Penn State featured an are-you-kidding 3-pointer by PSU’s Talor Battle with 16 seconds remaining – and then a buzzer-beating leaner by Temple’s Juan Fernandez.

Morehead’s upset of Louisville included a never-a-doubt 3-pointer by Demonte Harper with seven seconds left and potentially game-saving block by Kenneth Faried just before the buzzer.

*** Best shot: Plenty of options here, as well.

Butler’s Matt Howard beat Old Dominion with a layup at the buzzer.

Temple’s Juan Fernandez KOed Penn State with a difficult leaner from the right side of the foul line.

And Kentucky freshman Brandon Knight scored on a drive with two seconds remaining to beat Princeton – Knight’s only basket of the game.

*** Biggest upset: No. 13 Morehead State over No. 4 Louisville.

The Bluegrass State foes met two years ago in the NCAAs, with Louisville winning handily.

The Cardinal, runner-up in the Big East tournament, were a 9.5-point favorite Thursday.

But Morehead State rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit, rode the inside presence of forward Kenneth Faried and took advantage of an ankle injury to Louisville’s leading scorer, guard Preston Knowles.

Louisville had a chance to win it following Harper’s 3-pointer, but Mike Marra’s jumper from the left wing was blocked by Faried – a fabulous no-call by the officials.

*** Conference report: The Ohio Valley was a big winner. Morehead State’s victory marked the second consecutive year an OVC team has scored a first-round upset. (Murray State beat Vanderbilt in San Jose.)

The Big East, which earned a record 11 bids, went 2-1.

*** Player who helped his draft stock: Faried, the 6-8 senior, had 12 points and 17 rebounds against Louisville, likely sealing his status as a first-round pick.

*** Pac-10 update: USC’s 13-point loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Wednesday night doesn’t bode well for the Pac-10, although every team is different.

UCLA, Arizona and Washington, for instance, did not have their coaches suspended for arguing with boosters from another team.

*** Thursday evening: A terrific lineup of games features UCLA against Michigan State and St. John’s against Gonzaga, which should be the crowd favorite in Denver.

Don’t be surprised if No. 13 Belmont gives No. 4 Wisconsin a scare and No. 5 Utah State does the same to No. 12 Kansas State.